With flights delayed, my time in the US was extended another 5 weeks. This caused a bit of anxiety as I have cats in China and am now teaching online synchronously. That means teaching at 7 pm EST and sometimes going until after 3 am. I have great people back in my school helping and often have a break where I can get a nap.
My beautiful cats being taken care of by students who live in my building in Guangzhou.One of my classes. I asked them to come near the smart TV so we can take a selfie. I miss them so. Seeing them brings me great joy.
I was able to spend more time with Ryan and my brother Ken and sis (SIL). I am grateful for that. It has been some time since I have been back.
Hiking with Ryan on the Rachel Carson trail. Before that I stopped at the Spring Thaw race to say goodbye to my friend Michele. I wanted to run it but I was tired of the cold and I would not be able to do the hike if I had. The hills here are too intense and now at 57 I need to make choices.
The ice crystals are beautiful. We would do to admire them.Ryan is an amazing cook. Noodle soup with perfect 6 minute egg, bok choy, tofu, cabbage, and pickled jalapeno. My brother and nephew Kevin came down to eat lunch with Ryan and I at my favorite place there Double wide grill on East Carson in Pittsburgh.
Sunni and I traveled to Pittsburgh to go to Phipps Conservatory. We were looking for the butterflies but we are a few months too early. The gardens here are beautiful. The following is a picture dump, but the orchards, bonsai garden, fern garden, and tropical garden are amazing. Smelling the foliage and seeing the great plants always makes me feel lighter. Spending that time with family is priceless.
Note: I delayed this post until I could visit one more time due to the delay in return to China.
Because of work schedules and commitments, we scheduled the trip to see Becca when Ryan could also go on the 7th of January. Finally the day arrived to travel. The night before was a snowfall that actually stuck to the ground due to enough days of freezing temperatures.
View from Ryan’s apartment window in Pittsburgh.
The next day we headed to the airport early. I was glad that the priority lounges was open to get food and have a drink. Yes, it was the morning… It is 5 o’clock somewhere as they say…
At the connection in Chicago……
View of central Wisconsin from the airplane.
At Becca’s we ate some amazing cheese curds. Here they are battered and fried. Really delicious. Later she made a Moroccan dinner to celebrate my birthday. I miss the international dinners we used to make together for my birthday.
We went for a small hike at a sculpture park, shopped at some thrift stores, and drank coffee while waiting for a surprise Becca had for us.
The thrift store had a resident cat named Ivy who found people who obviously like kitties.
Sculpture Park
This sculpture symbolizes slow changes and allowing things to just happen.This one symbolizes agony and the changes that takes place when you let it just happen and unfold.Ryan, myself, Becca, and her boyfriend Ryan. It is -9C today and it’s the warmest it will be.
We stopped at a small convenience store. I like looking at the food in different areas.
Individual cheese and meat for sandwiches.I love the cranberries are called red pearls.Edible cookie dough!!!!!!
The surprise was a brewery tour. Point brewery is the second oldest independent brewery in the states. The first is a brewery in PA. Their image is a person in an original photo that no one ever could identify. Maybe I could work as a tester inn a brewery. I do have a biology degree.
Point brewery.With Ryan’s dad (Becca’s boyfriend Ryan)To get the vats in they let them with a crane from the ceiling.Hops.
Our tour guide recommended a restaurant in Stevens Point called Guu’s. It was fabulous. Fried cheese curds, mini Reubens, elote corn dip, fried green beans….
At night we went to granite peak ski resort. They had fireworks at night and the kids took turns skiing. I would cross country ski but not downhill.
I loved my new phone. Such good pictures!
It was brutally cold on Sunday. -18C and close to 0 in F. We went on a short hike which was beautiful walking in the winter scenery.
After returning I learned flights to China were cancelled to keep COVID cases down for the Olympics. I managed to fly back again to see Becca and her boyfriend Ryan. She assured me it would be warmer. Not really….. Plus a snowstorm delayed my landing for five hours. I’m glad I made it though!
We went to downtown Wausau. Cold but walked some places they had both been. On the way I saw three houses on the river for ice fishing.
Spring is close. Buds are just beginning.
We then went to the museum of dairy farming. It is a historical museum of the area. I love looking at old pictures and maps.
Here is what you do when you want to soak in the light in a Wisconsin winter!So grateful that my Friday in the States allowed me time to visit one more time, even if briefly.Beautiful Wisconsin sunrise!
I have wanted to see my friends Candy and David Shively the last time I was home but had not been home long enough. Now it has been three years since they docked in Hong Kong during their cruise. When my flight was cancelled the second time, I decided to go visit! They live in Peachtree City outside of Atlanta.
Warm Springs
I have watched the movie Warm Springs which details FDR and his life and look for a way to relieve his paralysis from polio he contracted as an adult. I loved the movie and how this shaped his view from the elitism of his circle to the actual lives of American people in rural areas. This shaped his policy when he became president.
His special cat that had hand controls since his legs were paralyzed.Guest house. A few dignitaries did stay here when he was actually president.Servants quarters.Where FDR stayed while at Warm Springs.Plaque of the death of FDR here at Warm Springs which occurred in his third term.A very modest bedroom that he used.Where he did much of his work.
Afterwards we had lunch and a hike at Pine Mountain, FDR State Park.
Elephant rock!
Starr’s Mills
Another day we traveled to the Mill that was in the movie Sweet Home, Alabama. It was a beautiful place to be on a beautiful morning.
Senoia, where The Walking Dead is filmed
This was such a cute little town. We went to see where the series was filmed, shop some cute little stores, and eat fried deviled eggs for lunch. For the record, I have not watched the series.
It also seems that some part of this railroad section was used in Fried Green Tomatoes.Grain bowl with chickpea fries and fried deviled eggs. They were yummy with the whites lightly fried then the deviled yolks are added.Candy and I enjoying eating at a restaurant outside. At this point, eating inside during COVID is not very exciting and the beautiful weather helped.
Juliette, Georgia
Candy: we should go to Juliette. Me: what’s in Juliette? Candy: fried green tomatoes Me: you mean the whistle stop cafe? Let’s go! So we traveled to Juliette where the whistle stop cafe (which was originally a hardware store, I think?) was turned into a cafe for the movie Fried Green Tomatoes. When the movie was done, two residents bought it and maintained the cafe. The grilled catfish sandwich, fried green tomatoes, and fried okra was amazing.
We took the food and sat on the picnic table outside located to the back of the cafe and alongside the railroad track. Where we were was right next to the barbecue pit used in the movie to dispose of the body…
It was another beautiful day! We then browsed the cute little shops in this very small town. Everyone was so friendly with the most delightful southern drawl.
The Mill even though this was not used in the movie.The waterfall is a short drive away and was used in the movie. The characters walked across the top.
I took advantage of the slightly warmer temperatures by running several days.
I also enjoyed watching birds at their bird feeder. I so miss having a feeder and watching birds and was pretty excited to see a Junco, Tufted Titmouse, and a Nuthatch among others. I had not seen them since I had a bird feeder at my home in PA.
We also took a golf cart ride around the subdivisions and the community. So many paths. I would like these for running and walking.
Before I knew it, the time was over and I was to head back to Pittsburgh. I will miss my friends, their hospitality, and the weather. They are a beautiful couple with an amazing community they live in.
Both my mom and aunt live in Tionesta. It is a distance from Pittsburgh and I haven’t seen her in some time as well. Much better to talk in person instead of through Skype.
I helped my mom with some tasks and put together some shelves for my aunt. There was garbage to burn and I loved the little “she” shed of my aunt’s. We thought this was the only visit I would be able to make but when flights to China were cancelled I was able to go visit a couple more times. Snowy winter weather meant shoveling as well as other ways to help. My mom makes great grilled cheese…..
The she shed in the background…My sister in law at my Mom’s.
Sunni and I booked two nights at an inn at a winery. We liked it so much we booked it again a month later when we came up to visit. As I start teaching online soon, I will need to be up at night to teach synchronously with my school in China. Traveling to visit again may be difficult.
The Inn at Deer Creek Winery.
The winter weather in our second trip made for some beautiful pictures.
Glistening ice on trees on a beautiful sunny day. It’s beautiful, but I miss warmer weather….Of course we drank wine but made a pretend drink like a coronarita using wine and fireball shots. We didn’t actually drink it, it was a spoof picture.
It has been a long time since I’ve seen my brother and sister-in-law. I have really missed them and looking forward to spending time with them. One of the things I have missed is watching Christmas movies on the Hallmark channel while drinking some wine. For the first few days that is what I did, though I did fall asleep often. Between COVID and flu shots and jet lag, it was a strange first week.
I still managed to get some time in while also spending some great time with my sister in law Sunni and my brother Ken. Ryan came up to celebrate birthday on December 24th and I then went back to Pittsburgh with him. I spent most of them weekdays in Worthington and weekends with Ryan. We didn’t go many places due to COVID-19 and instead enjoyed each other’s company.
Views from runs
After a weekend in Pittsburgh I rented a car and came back to Worthington. From there we went shopping and drove to Tionesta to stay at a winery and visit my mother and aunt (another blog post).
Then one morning (January 5), I woke up and found that China had changed the entry requirements. Now there are more tests and a 7 day requirement to be in the city of departure before leaving for China. Never mind this is literally the day after I return from Wisconsin and that I had made other plans. The good news is that I had done most of the things I wanted to do before that as it was a possibility anything could change.
I then changed my hotel in LA, requested the tests, and cancelled the other things I could. Ryan wanted me to go back to Pittsburgh a day earlier to spend more time with him so I quickly packed everything I had to get ready to bring everything to his place. I met Ryan in Butler at a Mexican restaurant. It was a great dinner with Ken, Sunni, and Ryan.
I will also miss the kitties and puppies, especially Groot and Jax, the coolest cats. Actually Groot is pretty difficult to get along with but I think he liked me. It was difficult to say goodbye to Nina. She’s used to be my dog, and loves her new home, but still remembers me.
GrootNinaJax
Putting a wrinkle into future plans was the announcement a few days later that China Southern flights are suspended due to 5 COVID cases. This means I may be stuck in the US. Though it means more time with family, it also means I have to teach online in the middle of the night.
Not only were flights cancelled for a few airlines, the majority of flights were all cancelled through the end of February. This is primarily due to the Olympics in Beijing and Chinese new year celebrations. They want to keep the cases of COVID in low numbers.
I will be enjoying more time with family and cats and dogs!
Eventually we had a foot of snow and also some very cold temperatures (-8C to -21C). What else do you do besides shoveling? Make snow angels!
The cats don’t know what they are missing outside…
(This post was to have been published a month ago, but multiple flight cancellations postponed that with no idea when my actual flight to China will actually be.)
It is good to actually see sky with only a few tall buildings around as Pittsburgh is a much smaller city than Guangzhou. I had envisioned that I would go to the theater, watch a movie with family, go to dinners but the COVID reality made me think twice. I am being overly cautious as the numbers of cases are much larger than this time in 2020. Even though the new omicron variant is milder, the predominant variant Delta is the concern. And most importantly, being exposed means that the antibodies would prevent me from going back to China. Sometimes it is just better to spend time with one another.
It was nice to take it easy and just hang out with family. I spent weekends with Ryan. It was refreshing to run around the riverfront. These pictures are from Herr’s island. The cute squirrel moved closer as I stood taking pictures of both him and the cardinal.
Ryan is a great cook. The breakfast scramble was delicious.
He makes great food no matter the ingredients.
I spent some time shopping. It is difficult to find my size shoe in China so finding running shoes and a good everyday shoe is a must. Also on my list are more running clothes and other pieces I find to take back. Lastly, I needed to get shelf stable food to take into quarantine. Packets of tuna fish, nuts, and oatmeal. Oh, and coffee.
We also walked, looked at possible other apartments for Ryan, and traveled together to Worthington to spend new years with my brother and sister-in-law, Ken and Sunni. I prepared to be ready to leave on January 21.
After learning that I needed to go to LA 7 days before flying to China for tests and health monitoring, I went to Pittsburgh a day earlier to spend more time with Ryan. First on the list was to make sure I had everything set for LA and then too repack for Wisconsin and to go back to GZ as I threw everything together at the last minute. The next morning I made sure I had the items for Wisconsin and reorganized the bags for Guangzhou. After coming back from WI, I prepared to leave for LA the next day….. Or so I thought….
The next day I found out that my flight is cancelled as well as the replacement flight and the next flight is now March 7th. Because of the Olympics in Beijing, almost all flights from the US were cancelled. It is nice to be with family but difficult to move around from place to place and live out of a suitcase. I made plans to split more time with family, start preparing online lessons, and run/hike to stay busy.
I took a long walk along trails by the river to meet Ryan when he was finished with work. It was a cold day but a really nice walk around the city.
Point state park is located where the rivers converge in Pittsburgh: the Allegheny, Monongahela, and the Ohio river.
I love the facade of this old building and hope they keep it’s look and character.
I have been in this restaurant many years ago.
More pictures from a run after much snow and very freezing temperatures.
I also walked to the Strip to buy Asian products to make dinner.
I honestly forgot about this post that was lounging in my drafts. And summer continues until a few weeks ago when the weather started to turn cooler.
The summer was interesting. An increase in cases in Guangzhou meant more difficult travel. As I was taking 60 hours of leadership classes I stayed in the city for much of the summer. This summer I only traveled a little to Beijing and Inner Mongolia.
I took some breaks for nature areas in Guangzhou.
This summer was also the 100th anniversary of the communist party. It is interesting to note that the nationalist party that started to bring China to the modern age and ended the Dynasty and warlords period, was overthrew by the communists because there was no free speech. The nationalists would not accept any dissent. That is what is true of the communists today.
A new pedestrian bridge was built to cross the river.
Working internationally means people come and go frequently. Celebrations and going away parties…
Construction in the apartment upstairs meant finding another place to work. This time in a coffee house in my neighborhood.
Occasionally in feeding the homeless you get an opportunity to help furry friends.
I do like to stay active. If I keep moving maybe old age can’t catch up with me! Wishful thinking I know, but I am not as fast as I used to be and have changed some of what I do. But I like staying in shape.
Where our dragonboat group meets has stand up paddleboarding. That is something I miss from living in PA. I paid for a year membership and now go paddleboarding after every dragonboat practice that I can. A few of us go each time.
Tricia who was so brave to go even being afraid of water.
I also ran a half marathon for charity which was a fun circle around the river.
Jack and Justin, the other cross country coach at school, were part of our team Too fast, too hot. We named it after the cross country team who complained with those words every practice!
Dragonboat has been a great workout for my arms, shoulders, and abs. I even extended myself by learning to paddle with my non-dominant arm to learn more coordination. I am glad for the chance to improve a physical skill that I did not have much experience in. It is a great community of wonderful people. I usually show up to both trainings on the weekend.
We have been training for a 21km race but I will miss that. I will get back in shape for dragonboat once I come back from the US.
We drove a long time (8 hours and 340 km), stopped at several points, and had several checkpoints for ID. Travel was along the Shanghai Nepal road and where we stopped was at 5248 meters elevation. I definitely felt the lack of oxygen.
First glimpse of Everest along the pass.
Along the Gyitso pass we stopped for bathroom break and also to take pictures. You can purchase a prayer flag and write a recipient name on it. They tie it for you and the blessings and prayers are sent by the wind.
Here the option is to go on to Everest or continue on the other road to Nepal.
We hiked a short section to get to Everest base camp at 5,150 m elevation. The camp is located below the moraine slopes from the Central Rongpu Glacier. A moraine is the earth and rocks pushed by the Glacier when it was advancing.
In front of everest. Everest at sunset. One minute you can see it and the next it is converted in clouds. We are lucky to have had the weather we did that day.
We stayed in a large tent at the base camp. The blankets they use are very thick and the tent is heated by using dried sheep and yak poop. It actually gives off less ash and is more plentiful than wood. Our tour group was interesting : 1 Japanese, 1 Chinese, 1 American, 1 Brazilian, 1 Singaporean, 1 Russian, 2 Brits, and 3 Germans. We spent a lot of time together! The tent owner would cook fried rice with yak meat for dinner and an omelet or pancake for breakfast. Lowest temperature was – 4C at night.
The base camp for hiking Everest is another 4 km away. You can no longer get a permit to hike unless you have Sorvino prior experience. We are about 20 km to Nepal.
I came on this trip already with a headache and stuffy nose so not sure when or if I was acclimated to the altitude. But when I arrived at Everest base camp, I was definitely struggling. My vision pulsed with each heartbeat and I had no energy. I used a nasal cannula with oxygen for 30 minutes. I felt better and then continued to feel better as we went back down in elevation. My sports watch measures my pulse. My resting heart rate is normally 46 bpm but jumped to 68 after arriving in Tibet. No wonder it shows in under great stress.
The Tibetan name for everest is Chomolungma, meaning “Goddess Mother of the world”. This marker is the height at the top of Everest.
Himalaya means “abode of snow”. There is about 15,000 glaciers throughout the whole range. The Himalaya form an arc that separates the Indian subcontinent in the south from the Tibetan Plateau in the north. Many of the world’s major rivers, the Indus, the Ganges, the Brahmaputra and the Yangtze all begin here. The next three pictures are the Himalayan range. A panorama would not let me zoom in so close.
Along the way we could see Tibetan farmers cutting and taking hay by hand. They did lift the hay wagons pulled by tractors. They keep the hay in their yards to feed livestock.
I have always wanted to go to Tibet but it has been closed to foreigners when I arrived to China and then covid happened. I had planned to go this last summer but they closed it to foreigners again. Luckily, my other tour for this holiday week fell through and I was able to scramble to get a visa and permit for Tibet! It required a few documents, a negative covid test, and a little waiting. Even with the extra hassle at checkpoints and the extra covid tests it is worth it. I will need another permit and possibly a virus test to go to Everest base camp.
Along with the shroud of spirituality, Tibet has distinct cultural traditions, intricate architecture, and a beautiful landscape. I have seen similar sights and ate some similar foods in Yunnan as these places are still along the Silk Road that connected other cultures to China and border Tibet itself.
Our first day was travel and going through the checkpoints. Along the way I met some great people. A chinese couple helped with translating and there I met a lovely woman from Scotland. While we were waiting for the second flight, two young men who wanted to practice their English chatted with us. Later on the bus I also met a couple Americans.
After settling into the room we were cautioned to take it easy as we would need to get adjusted to the altitude. In fact the next two days we will stay close to Lhasa to acclimate before going higher in elevation. Tibet is 4500 meters above sea level making the cities like Lhasa the highest in the world. Our only adventure was finding food.
Given the mountainous features of this area, Tibet is the most secluded and least populated provinces in China. It’s prominent feature is the Himalayas where the average mountain stands above 20,000 ft tall. To get from one scenic area to another will be long bus journeys. The views along the way will be amazing as this area is known for its breathtaking beauty.
In Tibet, Buddhism is not just a religion but a lifestyle. It actually is a lifestyle for many Buddhists around the world and is the way they embrace life.
Potala Palace from the bus window. That will be a lot of stairs to climb.
Tibet is also called the ‘third pole’. Tibet holds the third largest storage of water and ice in the world (after the Arctic and Antarctic). In fact, the water here is needed by 47% of the worlds population. There is a multitude of lakes, rivers, or glaciers. There is a lot of water here which makes it the center of geological and political interest. In fact, six of Asia’s largest rivers find their origin here in Tibet, including the Mekong, the Yangtze, and the Indus.. .
The diet of the people of Tibet is determined by the arid climate and high elevation. Food here include products unique to the region such as the Tibetan yak. Other foods such as yogurt and butter are popular compared with the standard Chinese diet. The most popular dishes include: tsampa (the staple composed of barley), balep (bread), thukpa (noodle soup), yak butter, yak cheese, yak yoghurt, and yak meat.
For our first meal, we tried a few items.
Noodles, vegetable Tikka, yak masala, and aloo Gobi though the spices are a little different. These noodles are delicious and the texture is more one of my favorite.
Tomorrow we will view palaces and see sights as well as have a large introductory dinner.
